by Kat | Feb 24, 2023 | General, In This Moment
This week has been a Weather Roller Coaster… we have had temps in the 70’s and the 30’s. Let me just say that this mornings 30° felt bitterly cold after yesterday’s 72° and I was so glad that I had mitts tucked in the pockets of my coat for Sherman’s morning constitutional!
With just four more days of February, I really need to harness the looming closet chaos and rearrange my closet for “Transitional Wardrobe” season… you know the one where the temperature can fluctuate greatly from day to day. So you know what I am doing this weekend! Ha!
Reading… Again —
Signal Fires. Yes, I finished it this week. Yes, I immediately restarted it. This book! The threads that Shapiro begins to pull together as the story progresses… oh my. The writing is so, so good! The second time through, I am paying more attention to the threads and am in awe of how brilliantly this story is crafted. If you have not put this book on your “read soon” list… why not?
Inspired… by ME —
Yes, yes! I have all month long been thinking about my Authenticity Manifesto! Contemplating a manifesto for my word was the prompt from Ali Edwards this month and at first I was all wow… okay! And then I sat down to consider putting one together and it all my initial enthusiasm fell apart. BUT!! I did not let that defeat me! Instead I have spent the month contemplating things and before long I had ideas all over a page of my morning journal. I am eager to share this with you all on Monday, but I just have to say that my word that was feeling not quite right in January began singing to me in February. And this, my friends, is the joy of having a word to carry along with you during the year!
(in)Famous… Gifting —
I took great pleasure this month in matting and framing a couple of my watercolors to gift. I have long loved giving people things I have made, but they have always been wearable items… hand knit socks, scarves, mittens, hats, shawls, cowls, etc. But to give someone something they can hang on a wall is a first for me! I had no idea when I began this new craft how much I would love it! I have been practicing the techniques I am struggling with every morning… a sort of swatching, I suppose. It’s amazing what you can improve with just 15-20 minutes a day of practice! (There is a huge life lesson there… one that I should apply to so many things!)
This is one of the paintings I gifted this month. Who knew that rocks and water could be so delightful to paint!
Fearless… Cooking —
One thing I have become very adept at is adjusting recipes for what I currently have in my fridge and pantry, but that was not always the case. I believed recipes needed to be followed to the letter and if I did not have something… well, most times I did not make it. But, I had a daily routine of calling my nana while I was making dinner and she was a wonder… she could make something incredibly delicious out of practically nothing! And… she was a Master of Recipe Substitutions! So in our conversations, I would say “well, I was going to make this, but I don’t have any of that.” and she’d ask, well do you have x? y? z? and generally I’d have one of those. She eased me into learning how to make good substitutions… a thing that has served me very well over the years, and most especially in Pandemic Times! Ha! Well I used those skills again this week! Kym posted a soup recipe that looked amazing, but I had no kale (okay, I never have kale!!) but I am here to tell you that it is just as good with a can of diced tomatoes and a half of an avocado diced on top! Delish!
This soup was absolutely wonderful… even on a very warm evening!
And with that, dear friends, Happy Friday! Let the weekend begin!! See you all back here on Monday with my February word update!
by Kat | Feb 20, 2023 | General, In This Moment
Is a continuation of the weekend.
I thought I’d share some of the things that have made my weekend extra wonderful!
First, I saw this on IG and I had a batch of focaccia in the fridge… so on Saturday I did a bit of a riff on it. One russet potato, a couple of shallots, and some cheddar and gruyere cheeses and we had the most delicious “potato bread” I have ever eaten! I followed the baking instructions for Richard Reinhard’s focaccia not the IG post baking instructions. The leftover potato focaccia was just as good reheated with some fried eggs for Sunday night dinner!
Quite possibly, the perfect focaccia!
I have been enjoying the new On Being season and on Sunday I spent an hour with Ada Limón. It was so delightful to hear Ada read some of her poems from The Hurting Kind and of course, I now have some new favorites! A bonus was listening to Ada read A New National Anthem.
As for today… I *think* I will begin a sleeve on my handspun sweater! Yes, the body is almost done! I have about one inch of 2×2 ribbing. Today is a bit gloomy here… a good day to knit and think about President Carter, his dear wife, Rosalynn, and his family.
See you all back here on Wednesday!
by Kat | Feb 17, 2023 | General, In This Moment
I don’t know about you, but I have found since I turned the “50’s” corner, I have struggled mightily each year with an ever worsening case of the dreaded Dry Winter Skin!
Usually, by mid-February, there is not enough moisturizer in North America to make a difference. But this year, I have found some things that are working… and not only working but making a difference! I thought I’d share my finds with you all!
First, a several weeks ago Kym had raved about this product so, of course, I clicked the link and poked around a bit on the JVN website. I not only picked up her recommendation, but I also got a bottle of this scalp oil… and for the first time in a very long time my scalp is not dry and flaky! Once a week, a few drops massaged into my scalp before I wash my hair and the results are so good! No dry, itchy, flaky scalp any longer!
Next “problem” dry skin area for me are my poor feet…over the years I have tried what feels like a gazillion products to combat dry, cracked skin and had no success with any of them. That is until I saw an “ad” on IG of all places for Aquaphor Healing Balm Stick. It says “Immediate Relief” on the label and oh.my.gosh… it is immediate relief! An added bonus is that I give myself a mini foot massage when I rub it in and my hands are loving it as well!
The final find that I have to share with you came because my “usual” face cleanser was no longer being made by Aveeno… grrr. I really loved what I was using and I hate when a product I love gets discontinued. So I was forced to find something new… and though it took a few product “tries” I have found my new go to face wash. It is L’Oréal Age Perfect Nourishing Cleanser. It is not drying even with daily use!
And there you have it… three things that are making my winter so much better!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! See you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Feb 13, 2023 | General, In This Moment
Brings a slow start thanks to a bad bout of insomnia this weekend. Ugh.
So I am easing myself into the week gently, with an extra cup of coffee before I begin the “Monday Chores.”
But there is sunshine again today!
And I have some weekend embroidery wheels to catch up with and I have a painting to finish, of course! But I thought that these hearts would be perfect (and quick!) coasters for Valentine’s Day…incentive for finishing that painting today? Yes, I think I could get a few done tomorrow with time to spare! I already have a bunch of random width strips in my scraps bag!
I am thanking my last week self for making a big pot of chili which will be our leftover dinner tonight… so the dreaded “what’s for dinner conversation” won’t happen!
And with that, I’d better get started! I hope your Monday is off to a quicker start than mine!
by Kat | Feb 10, 2023 | General, In This Moment
Hello Friday… it’s been a week where my motto has been this: “The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get”
I have felt like I have been playing catch up all week but there were a few good things.
Thing One: I have had tremulous buds on my snow drops for weeks and I feared that the bit of an arctic blast we had last week would do them in. But as you can see above, bloom they did! They opened yesterday and it was fun to see them “dancing in the wild winds” we had! A very good thing for the list!
Thing Two: I got my homework done! Wooo! The theme for this week was “Atmospheric” and while I don’t think I quite achieved an “atmospheric painting,” Rick’s first comment in my feedback: “This reads well” was enough for me. He then gave me some ideas to “fix” my foreground trees… that look a bit like lollypops! Yes, they do!
Thing Three: Kareem Abdul Jabar’s response to having his decades long NBA Scoring Record broken by Lebron James on Tuesday night. I deeply loved watching Kareem play basketball, but I confess… I love even more where he has gone with his life post-basketball.
Thing Four: I stumbled entirely accidentally upon the Emergence Magazine Podcast a couple of weeks ago and I have been meaning to tell you about it. The episode that drew me in was one with Robin Wall Kimmerer talking about Serviceberries. It’s absolutely worth a listen and I been delighted with other episodes as well!
Thing Five: Otherwise known as The Things That Kept Me Behind This Week! I had the appointment with the NP which caused me to have to go for X-rays (which were inconclusive) but I called to make the referral appointment with the Ortho who I eventually did manage to make contact with and set an appointment. Because I was in “Appointment Mode” I also made the appointment for my annual mammogram. I mean what is not to love about calling into Doctor Office Phone Queues and making sure you are pressing the correct number for what you want to do… and then waiting… listening to Hold Music… with interspersed advertisements for UPMC… Oh! And could you please complete a survey for us at the end of this call! (Because who does not want to have the opportunity to push more numbers!!)
And with that, I have some things to finish (still) from this week. See you all back here on Monday!
by Kat | Feb 6, 2023 | General, In This Moment
is overflowing with good things from the weekend.
Krista Tippett’s On Being podcast returned last week, but I did not listen to the episode until Saturday. I am hitting replay this morning… it was just that good! I have also gotten on the waitlist for Dacher Keltner’s new book as well.
Sherman had a rocky Friday, but by Saturday he had turned the corner. He is loving being spoiled and is really loving canned dog food. I fear we are creating a monster, but he is one happy boy this morning.
I spent some time at my Sparrow on Saturday and Sunday and spun up some batts from Hipstrings. I have the “warm batts” almost done and plans to spin the “cool batts” next. I had missed spinning as meditation, but also found it was a great way to spend the day with a snoozing pug!
And I am carrying all those good things forward to begin my Monday. See you all back here on Wednesday!
